Deglaciation sequences in the Permo-Carboniferous Itarare Group, Parana Basin, southern Brazil

The Late Carboniferous-Early Permian Itarare Group is a thick glacial unit of the Parana Basin. Five unconformity-bounded sequences have been defined in the eastern outcrop belt and recognized in well logs along 400 km across the central portion of the basin. Deglaciation sequences are present in the whole succession and represent the bulk of the stratigraphic record. The fining-upward vertical facies succession is characteristic of a retrogradational stacking pattern and corresponds to the stratigraphic record of major ice-retreat phases. Laterally discontinuous subglacial tillites and boulder beds occur at the base of the sequences. When these subglacial facies are absent, deglaciation sequences lie directly on the basal disconformities. Commonly present in the lowermost portions of the deglaciation sequences, polymictic conglomerates and cross-bedded sandstones are generated in subaqueous proximal outwash fans in front of retreating glaciers. The overlying assemblage of diamictites, parallel-bedded and rippled sandstones, and Bouma-like facies sequences are interpreted as deposits of distal outwash fan lobes. The tops of the deglaciation sequences are positioned in clay-rich marine horizons that show little (fine-laminated facies with dropstones) or no evidence of glacial influence on the deposition and likely represent periods of maximum ice retreat. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aspectos morfologicos da Planicie Amazonica na Ilha de Tupinambarana (Amazonia-Brasil).

The Island is bordered by Amazon and Madeira rivers and by Uraria furo. The alluvial bars show the evolution phases of these big rivers on the fluvial plain. The lacustrine deltas are another morphologic feature. Within the lakes it is possible to observe streams with great density of sediments, when the flood phases of the Amazon create internal deltas and lake bedforms.-from English summary

GPR survey in the Taquari River, Pantanal Wetland, west-central Brazil

A pioneer GPR - Ground Penetrating Radar - survey was carried out in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso State, westcentral region of Brazil. Fieldwork acquisitions were carried out in February/2001 and August/2002 in order to understand avulsion processes that are occurring within the Taquari alluvial megafan. The main subjects were to map channel, crevasses and floodplain morphology, as well as active sedimentary bedforms. Many GPR profiles were surveyed in the medium and lower Taquari River course. Subaqueous megaripples and exposed sand bars inside the Taquari channel were identified in the medium fan area. Similar features were observed in the lower fan channels, where there are also many crevasses in the marginal levees. During the flooding seasons the flow splays out in the floodplain where new distributary channels are being formed. As shown by GPR data, in the lower fan the Taquari channel is topographically higher than the adjacent floodplain, situation in which avulsion is a natural process of river course shifting. The lack of information about river morphology and dynamics is a major strain to better understand the sediment transport and the avulsion processes in the Taquari megafan. In this context, the GPR data obtained in wet and dry seasons, integrated to sedimentological information, have been very important to characterize the fluvial dynamics and the avulsion phenomena.

Application of GPR in the study of a modern alluvial megafan: The case of the Taquari river in Pantanal wetland, West-Central Brazil

A novel and timely ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey has been carried out in Pantanal from Mato Grosso State, west-central Brazil. Fieldwork was carried out on February/2001 and August/2002 in an attempt to understand avulsion processes that are occurring within Taquari alluvial megafan. The main objectives were to map channel, crevasse and floodplain morphology, as well as active sedimentary bedforms. Many GPR profiles were acquired in the medium and lower Taquari River course. Subaqueous megaripples and exposed sand bars were identified in the medium fan area. Similar features were observed in the lower fan channels, where there were many crevasses in the marginal levees. During the flooding seasons, the flow splays out on to the floodplain, where new distributary channels are being formed. GPR data show that the lower fan, Taquari channel is topographically higher than the adjacent floodplain, thus favoring avulsion as a natural process of river course shifting. GPR data obtained during the wet and dry seasons, together with sedimentology information have been very important in characterizing the fluvial dynamics, and avulsion phenomena. © 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

ICE-KEEL SCOUR MARKS IN THE GEOLOGICAL RECORD: EVIDENCE FROM CARBONIFEROUS SOFT-SEDIMENT STRIATED SURFACES IN THE PARANA BASIN, SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fácies e associação de fácies da formação Pirambóia na região de Descalvado/SP

The Pirambóia Formation is a lithostratigraphic unit of the Paraná Basin, positioned between the Corumbataí (lower) and Botucatu (upper) Formations on the eastern edge of the basin. This unit is focused by many studies due to its great importance as an essential component in the Guarani Aquifer System (SAG) and the petroleum system “Irati-Pirambóia”, as excellent reservoirs. The Pirambóia Formation is historically the subject of several controversies on issues like age, contact relationships with the upper unit and depositional paleoenvironment. Despite these aspects, the Pirambóia Formation is commonly taken to be of Triassic age and is considered a product of wet aeolian systems, with plenty of wet interdunes and subordinate fluvial facies. In this work, by using techniques such as facies analysis, depositional architecture and facies association, facies of this unit were characterized and their depositional paleoenvironment was inferred particularly in Jundu Mining, region of Descalvado in northeastern São Paulo. Techniques such as grain size and petrographic analyses, aimed to characterize this unit as a potential reservoir rock. Five facies were described for the Pirambóia Formation in the studied region: St, Sh, Sm, Sr and Gt facies, generated by sedimentary processes of the bottom load type, mostly under low flow regime (with exception for the Sh facies, which is formed by upper flow regime processes). In addition to that, four facies associations were recognized from the architectural elements, primarily contained within the main channel: complex channel bars, composed by foreset macroforms (FM), sandy bedforms (SB) and gravel bars and bedforms (GB); flood deposits, constituted by laminated sand sheets (LS); deposits of hyperconcentrated flows and eolian deposits. It was interpreted that the Pirambóia Formation in Descalvado (SP) is the record of the sedimentation of braided rivers, with dunes and interdunes deposits...